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GLADIOLUS

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Originally appearing in Volume V12, Page 66 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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GLADIOLUS , a genus of monocotyledonous See also:

plants, belonging to the natural See also:order See also:Iridaceae. They are herbaceous plants growing from a solid fibrous-coated bulb (or corm), with See also:long narrow plaited leaves and a terminal one-sided spike of generally See also:bright-coloured irregular See also:flowers. The segments of the See also:limb of the perianth are very unequal, the perianth See also:tube is cured, See also:funnel- xII.3shaped and widening upwards, the segments equalling or exceeding the tube in length. There are about 15o known See also:species, a large number of which are See also:South See also:African, but the genus extends into tropical See also:Africa, forming a characteristic feature of the See also:mountain vegetation, and as far See also:north as central See also:Europe and western See also:Asia. One species G. illyricus (sometimes regarded as a variety of G. communis) is found See also:wild in See also:England, in the New See also:Forest and the Isle of See also:Wight. Some of the species have been cultivated for a long See also:period in See also:English See also:flower-gardens, where both the introduced species and the See also:modern varieties bred from them are very ornamental and popular. G. segetum has been cultivated since 1596, and G. byzantinus since 1629, while many additional species were introduced during the latter See also:half of the 18th See also:century. One of the earlier of the hybrids originated in gardens was the beautiful G. Colvillei, raised in the nursery of Mr See also:Colville of See also:Chelsea in 1823 from G. tristis fertilized by G. cardinalis. In the first See also:decade of the l9th century, however, the Hon. and Rev. W. See also:Herbert had successfully crossed the showy G. cardinalis with the smaller but more See also:free-flowering G. blandus, and the result was the See also:production of a See also:race of See also:great beauty and fertility.

Other crosses were made with G. tristis, G. oppositiflorus, G. hirsutus, G. alatus and G. psittacinus; but it was not till after the production of G. gandavensis that the gladiolus really became a See also:

general favourite in gardens. This See also:fine hybrid was raised in 1837 by M. Bedinghaus, gardener to the duc d'See also:Aremberg, at See also:Enghien, See also:crossing G. psittacinus and G. cardinalis. There can, however, be little doubt that before the gandavensis type had become fairly fixed the services of other species were brought into force, and the most likely of these were G. oppositiflorus (which shows in the See also:white forms), G. blandus and G. ramosus. Other species may also have been used, but in any See also:case the gandavensis gladiolus, as we now know it, is the result of much crossing and inter-crossing between the best forms as they See also:developed (J. Weathers, See also:Practical See also:Guide to See also:Garden Plants). Since that See also:time innumerable varieties have appeared only to sink into oblivion upon being replaced by still finer productions. The modern varieties of gladioli have almost completely driven the natural species out of gardens, except in botanical collections. The most gorgeous See also:groups—in addition to the gandavensis type—are those known under the names of Lemoinei, Childsi, nanceianus and brenchleyensis. The last-named was raised by a Mr See also:Hooker at Brenchley in 1848, and although quite distinct in See also:appearance from gandavensis, it undoubtedly had that variety as one of its parents. Owing to the brilliant See also:scarlet See also:colour of the flowers, this is always a great favourite for planting in beds. The Lemoinei forms originated at See also:Nancy, in See also:France, by fertilizing G. purpureo-auratus with See also:pollen from G. gandavensis, the first flower appearing in 1877, and the plants being put into See also:commerce in 1880.

The Childsi gladioli first appeared in 1882, having been raised at See also:

Baden-Baden by Herr Max Leichtlin from the best forms of G. gandavensis and G. Saundersi. The flowers of the best varieties are of great See also:size and substance, often measuring 7 to 9 in. across, while the range of colour is marvellous, with shades of See also:grey, See also:purple, scarlet, See also:salmon, See also:crimson, See also:rose, white, See also:pink, yellow, &c., often beautifully mottled and blotched in the See also:throat. The plants are vigorous in growth, often reaching a height of 4 to 5 ft. G. nanceianus was raised at Nancy by MM. Lemoine and were first-put into commerce in 1889. Next to the Childsi See also:group they are the most beautiful, and have the See also:blood of the best forms of G. Saundersi and G. Lemoinei in their See also:veins. The plants are quite as See also:hardy as the gandavensis hybrids, and the See also:colours of the flowers are almost as brilliant and varied in See also:hue as those of the Childsi See also:section. A deep and rather stiff sandy See also:loam is the best See also:soil for the gladiolus, and this should be trenched up in See also:October and enriched with well-decomposed manure, consisting partly of cow dung, the manure being disposed altogether below the corms, a layer at the bottom of the upper See also:trench, say 9 in. from the See also:surface, and another layer at See also:double that See also:depth. The corms should be planted in See also:succession at intervals of two or three See also:weeks through the months of See also:March, See also:April and May ; about 3 to 5 in. deep and at least 1 ft. apart, a little pure soil or See also:sand being laid over each before the See also:earth is closed in about them, an II organo-metallic compounds, and thus promoted See also:research in branches of organic See also:chemistry where those bodies are especially useful.

Mention may also be made of his See also:

work on See also:phosphorus, on explosive substances, such as iodide of See also:nitrogen, See also:gun-See also:cotton and the fulminates, on the See also:influence of See also:mass in the See also:process of chemical reactions, and on the effect of carbonic See also:acid on the germination of plants. Dr See also:Gladstone always took a great See also:interest in educational questions, and from 1873 to 1894 he was a member of the See also:London School See also:Board. He was also a member of the See also:Christian See also:Evidence Society, and an See also:early supporter of the See also:Young Men's Christian Association. His See also:death occurred suddenly in London on the 6th of October 1902.

End of Article: GLADIOLUS

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